★★★★★
I’ve got a riddle for you: where in Victoria can a single actor command a room so completely that an audience sits spellbound for an entire hour? The answer lies in St Kilda East at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre. The Winter season of Funeral Flowers marks my first encounter with this remarkable “big‑little” company, and you can be sure it won’t be my last.
Beautifully written by Emma Dennis‑Edwards and confidently directed by Candy Bowers, Funeral Flowers traces the journey of seventeen‑year‑old Angelique, a young woman caught in the generational cycle of poverty, prejudice, misogyny, and family incarceration.
Yet Angelique refuses to be defined by her circumstances, clinging fiercely to the hope she finds in flowers and the art of floristry. This hour‑long monologue invites its audience to inhabit her world, urging us to search for even the faintest glimmer of light within an otherwise unforgiving landscape.
Lucy Ansell is exceptional as Angelique. From the moment she steps onstage and greets the audience with a radiant smile, we’re instantly drawn to her and wholly invested in Angelique’s journey. Ansell moves with striking precision, shaping her voice, expressions, and physicality to inhabit every character in the narrative.
Her choices around Mikey are particularly considered and beautifully judged. I could have watched her command the stage far beyond the sixty minutes the script allows.
Bianca Pardo’s set design is minimal but evocative. The combination of child‑like play elements and raw concrete provides a versatile environment that supports Ansell’s performance and aligns closely with Bowers’ astute directorial vision.
Composition and sound design by Christian Biko proved essential to the performance. Biko blends rap, hip‑hop, and steel‑drum calypso into the sonic landscape, enriching Angelique’s world with cultural depth and historical texture.
Lighting designer Kyra Ryan adds another vital layer, syncing their cues to the pulse of Biko’s music and offering perfectly timed support for Ansell’s character shifts and pivotal emotional beats.
Funeral Flowers is a testament to what can happen when exceptional writing, incisive direction, and a powerhouse performer collide in an intimate space. Red Stitch has delivered a production that is emotionally searing and artistically refined, reminding us of the transformative potential of solo storytelling.
It’s the kind of work that makes you want to return, not just to see what they do next, but to experience the thrill of theatre again at its most intimate and affecting.
Funeral Flowers is presented by Red Stitch and runs to 23 August. Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, Rear 2 Chapel Street St Kilda East Vic 3183.
Tickets are available here.
Website: https://www.redstitch.net/funeral-flowers-2026
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/redstitch/
Photo credits: Jess D Cruze
Content warnings: Funeral Flowers contains strong language and mature themes. It includes depictions of sexual assault, rape, non-consensual sexual filming/exploitation, coercive control, emotional abuse, and references to drug use and the incarceration of a parent.
For support, patrons can contact 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Recommended for ages 14+
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